1. Technical Field
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to systems and methods for cooling semiconductor devices.
2. Background Art
Computer cooling involves the removal of heat from computers and associated components, such as semiconductor devices. All semiconductor devices have some form of conduction resistance which leads to the generation of heat when these devices are operated. Heat flow begins at the semiconductor junction through which electric current travels. This heat is conducted from the device body onto the package that the semiconductor is housed in, and then to the air. This heat energy increases the temperature of the semiconductor. If heat is not dissipated from the semiconductor fast enough, the semiconductor temperature may increase beyond the specified operating temperature, resulting in shorter component life spans as well as problems such as computer system freezes or crashes.
The current approach for cooling a semiconductor device involves conducting heat away from the semiconductor device. FIG. 1 shows a typical cooling system 10 for cooling a semiconductor device 12. The semiconductor device 12 is mounted onto a substrate 14 and sandwiched between the substrate 14 and a first thermal interface material (TIM) layer 16. A lid 18 encases the semiconductor device to provide structural rigidity and protection from external elements. A second TIM layer 20, which may be an adhesive material bonding the lid 18 to a heat sink 22, is disposed on a top surface of the lid 18. The heat sink 22 is mounted onto the second TIM layer 20, and has a plurality of fins and a large surface area to facilitate heat transfer to surrounding air. As heat is dissipated from the semiconductor device 12, the first and second TIM layers 16, 20 and the lid 18, which are constructed of materials chosen for high thermal conductivity, transfer the heat to the heat sink. Heat is then transferred from the heat sink 22 to the surrounding air.
The removal of heat from a semiconductor device is dependent on numerous factors. For example, the thermal conductivity of the materials used to construct a cooling system (e.g., the lid, heat sink, and TIM layers) have a direct effect on the ability of the cooling system to transfer heat to the surrounding air.